Introduction
Welcome! This course is designed to give you a quick overview of and foundation for the music theory classes you will be taking in the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University. You may know a lot (possibly even most) of this material already. If you have a solid background in music theory, this course will be quick and easy; it will also introduce standards and conventions used across all courses in the School of Music (such as fixed-do solfège, which may not be familiar to you). For others of you, this may be the first time you've seen any formal music theory. But whatever your background, this course will help make sure you get the most out of the music classes you will be taking here at Carnegie Mellon.
Another goal of the course is to offer a preview of the benefits that studying music theory will provide. If you have studied music theory in the past but haven't really felt a deep connection to what you do as a performer, then the approach you'll find at Carnegie Mellon should be refreshing! A deep understanding of music theory will make you a better musician, whether as performer, composer, or teacher. For instance, understanding the musical structure of a composition will help you make informed decisions about phrasing—where to breathe, where the high point should be dynamically, and so on. As another example, being aware of the current chord will help you judge the intonation of the note you are playing or singing (a note that is in tune when it is the fifth of the chord will not be in tune if a chord change makes it the third of a chord). It is important to remember that studying music theory is not just an academic exercise; the concepts you will learn will help you on your path to higher artistry.
What You'll Need
To use this course, you will need a web browser (since you're reading this, you're probably covered), headphones or speakers to listen to sound examples, and Adobe Flash Player (if you can watch YouTube videos, you already have this). For web browsers, recent versions of Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome, and Internet Explorer are all more than adequate. If you have a smart phone capable of playing Flash content, you can probably use it with this course. If you don't already have it, you can download Adobe Flash player here.
The chapters that follow present the elements of music from simple to more involved. Each presents explanations, diagrams, scores, and recordings to help cover each concept. After every topic, there is a short series of review questions. Make sure you can answer these questions correctly before you move on. Alright, enough introduction—let's get to it.
Next Chapter: Harmony & Counterpoint
